Walpurgis Night
The Walpurgis Night (ヴァルプルギスの夕べ Varupurugisu no Yūbe) or widely known as Night Party (夜会，やかい Yakai) is an event that happens at Walpurgis Academy in which the top 100 academic students compete for the position of the Wiseman. Each participant has a pair of Gauntlets ( Gantoretto) to symbolize their current Entry ( Entorī).Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Volume 1 / Chapter 5 Bonus Content Acceptance as Participants The 'Night Party Competition' has been around since the advancement of Machinart, and is held once every 4 years to select the next Wiseman, from the top 100 students of Walpurgis Academy.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 2, Pages 4-5 However the positions of these 100 students can be stolen from them by someone of a lower rank if they are defeated in Automaton battles before the party begins. Initially, this is hypothesized by Kimberley that should a lower ranking student defeat a Walpurgis Night participant, the executive committee in charge of it will be forced to look into the matter and take appropriate action for the selection process.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 2, Page 14 This theory is proven true when Raishin Akabane defeats Felix Kingsfort, a high ranking student who was the head of the Disciplinary Committee and a member of The Rounds, and subsequently awarded with an entry code to the party.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 15, Page 1-2 When a student is awarded a rank of 100 and above, they and their Automaton will appear before the Headmaster in the school halls. The Headmaster congratulates the student for making into the top 100 ranks, before presenting a pair of customised gauntlets to the student. The gauntlets are fingerless gloves with a unique motif pattern, and the student's entry code is embroidered onto the gauntlets with pearl-colored silk threads. In Raishin's award ceremony, there is a great amount of fanfare and celebration, as envious schoolmates look on when he steps out of the hall with the gauntlets.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 15, Pages 3-7 Ceremony The participants assemble on the school grounds. Once they have lined up, the oath of the Walpurgis Night will be delivered by the chief of the Night, as follows: : "We who gather at Walpurgis -- In order to protect the essence of Magic, we will bathe ourselves in blood. Become a king or become naught; let each individual vow for true conflict." After the oath is delivered, the headmaster of Walpurgis Academy declares the Night officially open. All participating students then stretch forth their arms, and clench their gauntlets in their fists, as a display of their entry codes into the Night, before donning them. The student committee then proceeds to announce the entrance of the 100th and 99th ranking students onto the battle stage, while the remaining students stay as spectators.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 23, Pages 12-15 There are several differences in the anime. Firstly, the participants already have both gauntlets put on. After a quick word by the Headmaster, they remove their left gauntlet, and clench it in their right fist, which still has its respective gauntlet on. Then, they place their right fist across their chest as if to make a pledge. As the clock tower strikes 6.00 p.m., the top ranking student, in this case Magnus, is the one who delivers the oath for the participants: : "Hear me, fellow magicians gathered under the name of Walpurgis. Tonight we shall fight amongst our own kind to keep the flames of Magic alive. We shall rule, or we shall die. Thus, we swear to uphold the ideals of battle." After this, the Headmaster officially declares the commencement Walpurgis Night. Immediately, the participants put back their left gauntlets again, as other students watch on with bagpipe music and loud cheering. The ceremony takes an hour, and by 7.00 p.m., the 100th and 99th ranking students are called to the battle arena.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Anime: Episode 6 Structure Even though the Walpurgis Night is about the interaction of Machinart and Automaton battles, the conditions are not equal for the hundred participants. As explained by Kimberley, the structure of the Walpurgis Night is as follows: in the first night, the 100th and 99th ranked participants will battle each other; on the second night, the 98th ranked participant will join in. Essentially, in each subsequent night, the next ranked participant will join the battle, thus ensuring that there will be a new opponent to fight against, regardless of the current status of the battle. However, if a participant kills their opponent, or if their Gauntlets are stolen, it is automatically regarded as a loss, and the participant will be eliminated from the Walpurgis Night.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 17, Pages 17-18 As noted by Kimberley, the structure of the competition is intended to prioritized the higher ranking participants over lower ranking participants. Moreover, higher ranking participants have the right not to appear and battle lower ranking participants. However, this does not mean the 99th ranking participant can wait until the last day to battle Raishin, the current 100th ranking participant. This is because the competition does not last for one day only, but continues for many nights. As hypothesized by Kimberley, when two lower ranking participants and a higher ranking participant are in the battle, it often becomes a two-versus-one scenario. As the competition continues, there will be more "survivors", making the state of battle more confusing. It is a highly possible scenario that the lower ranking would team up against the higher ranking. Thus theoretically, the lower ranking participants should always be eliminated, so that a more controlled structure of the competition can be maintained with less participants, thereby allowing one-versus-one battles to take place.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 17, Pages 18-20 Each night, a participant can appear at the Night Party at any time, so long as they are within the hours it is held, usually from 7.00 p.m. to midnight.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 33, Page 10 However, if there are no opponents to battle, the participant is allowed to go home, provided they have stayed in the arena for at least an hour.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Anime: Episode 5 For example, Frey went home early after waiting in the arena for a while. Raishin said she might have gone to the arena straight away, in order to avoid fighting him and Yaya.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Anime: Episode 9 Wiseman Every participant competes to be the Wiseman ( Waizuman), which is a title symbolizing that one has become the Premier Magician Puppeteer of their generation. As Wiseman, they are not bounded by the International Charter on Magic Arts and the code of ethics that all mages have to follow. Effectively, they can do as they please. Moreover, a Wiseman will bring about fame, fortune, knowledge and power.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Chapter 2, Page 12 Currently, Magnus is the closest person to achieving the title, while Charlotte is a main contender propelled by her strong motivations. Raishin aims to be the Wiseman too. Rounds The Rounds ( Raunzu) is given to the top thirteen ranking students, who are referred to with respect. *Magnus: Ranks 1st currently. *Felix Kingsfort: Formerly ranked 4th; he was expelled from the Academy after he was exposed for being the mastermind and Puppeteer Cannibal Candy. *Charlotte Belew: Ranks 6th currently.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Volume 2 / Chapter 10 Bonus Content *Loki: Formerly ranked 7th, but decides to drop to 99th rank.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Manga: Volume 5 Bonus Content Participants *Magnus: Ranks 1st. *Felix Kingsfort (Former): Formerly ranked 4th. *Charlotte Belew: Ranks 6th. *Loki: Formerly ranked 7th. However much to everyone's shock, he decides to drop to 99th rank. *Risette Norden (Former): Formerly ranked 34th, but was killed by Felix's Automaton, Eliza who subsequently impersonated her. *Alice Bernstein: Ranks 87th, but she voluntarily demoted herself, so her original rank remains unknown.Kikō Shōjo wa Kizutsukanai Anime: Episode 12 *Frey: Formerly ranked 100th, but moved up to 99th. After her brother, Loki, unexpectedly moves himself down to 99th, she now ranks 98th. *Raishin Akabane: Ranks 100th. Trivia *The Kanji of Gauntlets ( Gantoretto) means "possession gloves". *The Kanji of Wiseman ( Waizuman) means the Devil (Lucifer)/Satan. References Category:Important Term